Coypu (Myocastor coypus) lives in freshwater wetlands across South America and North America. It feeds on aquatic plants & grasses. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
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Nutrias can tip the scales at 16 kg, although most adults are far lighter. Adults normally weigh between 4.5 kg and 7 kg, with a typical body mass around 5.4 kg, and they measure 40-60 cm in length with a 30-45 cm tail. Occasionally an individual reaches the extreme size of 16-17 kg, far above the usual range.
Their front teeth shine orange-yellow because iron pigments stain the enamel, giving the incisors a beaver-like appearance. Nutrias possess about twenty teeth, of which four large incisors grow continuously throughout life, allowing them to gnaw vegetation and roots. This constant growth supports their habit of feeding on the bases of stems and underground plant parts.
A single coypu can spread nearly seven hundred plant propagules each day, including over five hundred fern spores, making it a mobile seed disperser. A 2024 study at the Taim Ramsar site recovered intact seeds and spores from its faeces and estimated the daily dispersal at about 691 propagules. Researchers concluded that coypus, together with capybaras, provide important and complementary plant-dispersal services in Neotropical wetlands.
Female nutria pregnancies last about 130 days, and a litter may contain anywhere from one to thirteen young, with four pups being typical. After giving birth a female can become pregnant again the next day, allowing up to six litters in her lifetime, usually two each year. This rapid reproductive cycle lets populations increase quickly when conditions are favourable.
In harsh winters the nutria's round tail often suffers frostbite, which can become infected and kill the animal, leading to local or regional disappearances. Such cold-induced mortality has driven population contractions in places like the Scandinavian countries and several U.S. states during the 1980s. When winters are milder, the same species expands northward, with recent range growth noted in Washington, Oregon and Delaware.
Sources
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In the lush, verdant wetlands, a semi-aquatic giant stirs, its webbed hind feet paddling softly as it glides across the water's surface with an air of serene elegance. The coypu, with its coarse, reddish-brown fur and bright orange teeth, is a master of its domain, navigating the dense vegetation with a quiet confidence that belies its remarkable adaptability. As it moves, the water ripples and the surrounding plants sway, a testament to the coypu's gentle yet unyielding presence in this delicate ecosystem.
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